Big Dreams, Little Steps
by Jemima Rose
Summary: Mei moves to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer at FIT. And along the way she discovers friendship, love, joy, and the realization that life isn't always ideal.
1. Welcome to the Big Apple

Hi guys. This has been a labor of love and frustration. A long time coming. Dedicated to all the NedTai shippers out there. As a warning, I have never been to New York so I apologize for any inconsistencies.

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

It's true what they say about New York. The city never sleeps, never stops. Everywhere Mei looked everyone was preoccupied with something. The streets were noisy with miles of backed up traffic while the sidewalks were overflowing with people from different walks of life. It was a little intimidating being in New York, despite coming from the already populous Taiwan. But Mei wouldn't trade it for anything else.

She had been accepted into the Fashion Institute of Technology. Another step closer to becoming a fashion designer. She remembered when she was a little girl and she would design dresses for her dolls out of tissue paper and ribbon left over from her mother's crafting. Then when she was 10 she had begged her mother to teach her how to sew. Which resulted in her getting her first, secondhand sewing machine that she cherished. She started out just making small accessories to go with her clothes and eventually worked her way up to full outfits for her and her friends. There was no denying it: fashion was a part of her life.

Mei awkwardly navigated through the busy landscape with her luggage securely attached around her shoulder and in her hands. Her eyes studied the approaching buildings on her right, looking for the specific address that would be her new home away from home. She stopped in front of a grey brick building that was worn with age and dotted with a multitude of windows. She pulled out a scrap piece of paper from her pocket to confirm that this was the right place.

"_Wow, it certainly isn't glamorous."_ she thought to herself as she walked up to the intercom.

Mei briefly looked through the list of tenants before she found the name she was looking for. She pressed the button and waited for a reply.

"Hello." A slightly tired female's voice answered.

"Miss Nguyen, it's me Miss Wang." She replied into the intercom. A moment passed before the other young woman spoke again.

"Alright, come up."

After that a quiet click was heard and Mei let herself in. To her disappointment, the interior of the building looked just as drab as the exterior. The walls were a dull white and the floorboards creaked under her feet. However she noticed there was an elevator to her left in the lobby. Small proof that it was a somewhat modern building. She made her way toward it only to see a little sign taped to the doors. Out of order. Great. Now she had to walk up about…6 flights of steps to get to her apartment. Towing all of her luggage. Her feet were already aching from the walk over, even though she had taken a bus for most of the journey from the airport. Now she was regretting the sky blue flats she had decided to wear.

With some grumbling and determination, she made her way upstairs. She found her new apartment 771F second from last down the hall. Mei was still out of breath when she gave a knock on the door. She had been curious to see her new roommate. The girl wasn't entirely a stranger. She was the daughter of one of her mom's best friends. Her family was originally from Vietnam but they moved to New York about 5 years ago. She was a second year student at a nearby university but Mei had forgotten which one. Suddenly the door opened, interrupting Mei's thoughts. The young woman standing in the doorway was a slim and only a couple inches taller than her. She was clothed in a simple green t-shirt and black sweatpants. Her long dark brown hair was pulled into a ponytail with bangs framing both sides of her face. Along with a set of beautiful golden eyes. She was cute, Mei decided. But the frown on her face was a little threatening for her.

"Hello Miss Nguyen." Mei greeted, with just a hint of breathlessness in her voice. She still hadn't recovered from her trip upstairs.

"Are…you okay?" the other woman questioned, raising her eyebrow.

Mei pointed toward the stairs. "I had to walk all the way up here. The elevator wasn't working."

"Oh that." She said. "It's never working."

_Well, that's going to be fun. _Mei thought to herself.

"Here come in. You're probably tired from the flight in."

And she wasted no time in accepting her roommate's offer. A quick inspection of the apartment showed how basic it was. There was a small kitchen to left, by the door. A two person table with an overhead light structure made up the dining area. The living room was straight ahead and consisted of a couch and two chairs arranged around a simple TV. There was a small closet to her right and the entrance to the hallway that probably contained their rooms and a bathroom. The entire apartment was very clean and Mei was impressed with her roommate's tidiness. However, their living space could use a little more of a decorative touch. The off-white walls were pretty much bare, besides a few photographs scattered here and there. Mei decided to do something about that once she settled in. It would be nice to put some flowers in to add some pops of color. Miss Nguyen waited until she was done exploring the area before she led her down the hallway to the second door on the right.

"Here's your room. I hope you brought your own curtains because there's a man in the apartment across the street who likes to peep."

Startled, Mei turned around to face her but there was nothing joking about her expression. Then her roommate left her to unpack without another word. Miss Nguyen was…a little blunt but hopefully she'd warm up once they got to know each other. Mei made herself comfortable for a bit as she laid across her unfurnished bed, kicking off her flats. It had been a long day and the thing she wanted most was to go to sleep. But she realized that her mother had been waiting anxiously for her to call since she boarded the plane back in Taiwan. Scrounging through her purse, she pulled out her flip phone. It was almost 12:30 pm here so it must have been 12:30 am back in Taiwan. However, she knew her mother wouldn't care.

After the talk with her mother and unpacking 90% of her possessions, Mei entered the living room where she saw her roommate curled up on the couch reading a book.

"Hi." She said, sitting down in one of the wooden chairs.

Miss Ngyuen paused to save her spot in the book.

"Hello. All done?"

"Mostly." Mei admitted sheepishly. "I got everything I needed done."

"Oh" was all the other woman said in response. There was a brief silence before Mei decided to speak up again.

"So…tell me about yourself. What about school Miss Nguyen?"

"I am second year at Colombia University. I major in engineering. And, you can call me Lien. No need to be so formal."

"Really? Ok great! And you can just call me Mei too of course. And I'm gonna be a first year at Fashion Institute of Design. I'm gonna be a fashion designer."

"You look the part." The other woman said.

And it was true. Mei had always put forth effort to look her best. Today she was wearing a white sleeveless blouse that was tied at the waist along with a pair of sky blue lace shorts. And she had her two signature pink flowers pinned into her hair. Regardless of the situation she always wore them, whether they matched her outfit or not. They were a source of luck to her.

"So you've already been here a few years right? Then maybe you can show me around sometime."

"If you want me to I can yes. The subway system takes some getting used to."

"And you'll let me spruce up the apartment?" Lien gave Mei a confused look.

"I mean, just so I can make it a little comfortable. A home away from home."

"Sure I guess." She shrugged. "Just nothing too drastic like Hello Kitty furniture or anything like that."

"Oh of course not." Mei laughed. She then began searching through her tote before pulling out a notebook and showing the bright pink cover to her roommate.

"But how do you feel about My Melody?"

And for just the briefest of seconds, she swore she saw a smile on the other woman's face. Before she attempted to cover it with her hand.

"Just make sure you get the curtains up first." She warned.

Mei beamed. "Already taken care of."

They were promptly interrupted when Mei's stomach started to growl and she quickly clutched it in embarrassment. It had been awhile since she had eaten.

"Hm, maybe I can start showing you around New York right now? Preferably to a restaurant?"

She blushed. "Yeah, that would be nice."

Mei was glad to get out and eat but she really did want to see more of New York. The sights, sounds, and people. This was going to be her new home for the next 4 years. This was where she was going to make her dreams come true.

* * *

And we're off to a rocky, awkward start. But thanks for reading! I hope to get better at writing characters, and dialogue as I go along. Questions, comments, and concerns (so long as they are polite) are always welcome.


	2. Bumps in the Road

It's been a long time, thanks for being patient guys. Anyway here ya go.

Jia =Hong Kong

Angelique =Seychelles

* * *

It was 9:00 p.m. when Mei had come back to the apartment. All she had wanted was a quick Skype chat with her brothers as a means of checking in. But of course things were never that simple with her siblings.

"Is it on? Can she see us?"

"Guys, I can hear you. Why don't you turn on your-"

"Aha, I found the button…"

"No you old man, you'll just make it worse."

"Who are you calling an old man, you little punk?"

And for the next 10 minutes her brothers, were flinging insults back and forth until Mei forced them snap out of it. She was secretly glad that they were at Yao's apartment instead of their parents' house. She wouldn't want them to suffer from their stupidity.

Yao was the first to start up the conversation afterward. Effectively switching into the responsible elder brother role with ease.

"Anyways Mei how are you doing in New York?"

"Thrilled. But tired." She answered honestly.

"You look it. Are you getting enough sleep?"

As if on cue, she gave a little yawn. "I'm fine brother. I just got off from work, had a long day."

A couple of weeks ago Mei had found a job at a little café. The good thing was that it wasn't too far from her and Lien's apartment. It was owned by a Frenchman who genuinely seemed nice but ran a little on the eccentric side. However, he had hired her on the spot so she really couldn't complain.

Yao continued in his probe. "Are you eating well too?"

At this, Mei gave a little annoyed sigh.

"Yes, Lien and I have a takeout menu for every restaurant within a 30 mile radius. Trust me, I'm eating."

"And how about school? You'll be starting soon so I hope you have everything-"

"Yao, like lighten up!" Jia interrupted, giving him a small shove. "Mei's got everything taken care of. She wouldn't have been accepted to college if she wasn't smart enough to take care of herself."

Mei beamed from her twin brother's compliment.

"Anyway sis, let's skip the boring talk and focus on something else. Like for instance, have you been clubbing yet?"

And just like that her respect for her brother was lost.

"No Jia. You have to be 21 to do that in America." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Duh, I know that. But haven't you ever heard of a fake I.D.?"

"Don't influence her." Yao warned. "Education comes first."

He really didn't have to worry about her. At least not yet. Mei had a feeling that she wouldn't be clubbing for a while. Lien seemed to be more of a homebody who wasn't into the NYC nightlife. Which was fine. Mei just hoped she could meet some friends at FIT who would be more willing to go out. There was still so much to explore in New York.

The rest of their conversation remained fickle. With topics flickering from Jia's own upcoming first year of college, to some new Chinese drama that the whole family had started watching. And after repeated promises to bring them back souvenirs the next time she came home, Mei ended the call with her brothers. Climbing into bed soon after.

For just the smallest of moments, she felt overwhelmingly homesick. It came and went in pieces of time since she had moved to America, but she would quickly dismiss it. She was a grown woman, she felt childish longing for home. Longing for the loving smile of her father or the calming voice of her mother. Even her annoying siblings. She pushed these thoughts off into another spot in her mind, determined to chase them away. Mei instead tried to focus on her overall mission of coming to New York and all she had planned to accomplish as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next day Mei headed into work as she had for the past couple of weeks. The café was already bustling with activity in the mid-morning. Whispers filled the air, while the smell of coffee and freshly baked bread filled her nostrils. She made her way to her station where she saw Angelique, her sociable co-worker, greeting her with a smile. They usually had time to talk in between filling orders but today business was rampant.

Angelique had just handed Mei a tray with someone's coffee on it with the directions to take it to a table in the far corner. Carefully, Mei tried to make a path toward the table but the extra bodies in the way made it difficult. She felt a slippery spot under her foot, and she could feel herself slipping, falling forward. Right smack into a customer. Mei's eyes were closed but she heard a few small gasps around her and could easily imagine the shock on their faces. Her eyes flew open and first she spotted the tray on the floor with the broken coffee cup in a small puddle of the dark brown liquid. While the rest was on the customer. Quickly, Mei got to her feet, grabbed the nearest pile of napkins, and began wiping at the man's suit.

"I'm so sorry sir, I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and—"

The customer gently seized her arms and put them down at her sides.

"That's enough. Relax." He commanded.

Mei obliged, giving a deep breath in and out. Now calm, she gave the customer a more detailed glance. He was a very tall man, easily over 6 feet tall. At least it seemed like that to her since she was pretty short herself. He had dirty blond hair with an unusually spiky design that came to a point at the top of his head, somewhat reminiscent of a tulip. His forehead was marked with a small, vertical scar right above his right eye. His muscular build, in addition to the slight scowl on his face, gave him a rather intimidating aura.

"Better?" He questioned in a thick, European accent.

"Better" she answered. Mei regained some of her composure and went through her best customer service procedure. "I can take you to the back to clean up sir." She bent down and began cleaning up the mess on the floor. Collecting the chards from the coffee mug.

"I'd rather go home and change first." He gestured to the dark stain on his coat.

"At least let me get you something to go. " She stammered. "Would you like a drink or something to—"

"Considering you just dumped coffee on me, no thanks."

Mei mentally cringed at the harsh edge in his rumbling voice. _"Well, it could be worse"_ she thought.

"Look, I can have my friend Angelique" She paused to turn around and gesture at the smiling girl behind the counter. "make you another drink. I promise I won't touch it this time. And it'll be on me this time. 100% free."

The man considered her offer for a moment before sighing.

"Well, since you said it was free…"

Mei grinned. "Great, go tell Angelique what you want. I'll finish cleaning up this mess. And again I'm so sor—"

The man simply put up a hand in protest as he was about to head to the counter.

"It's fine."

Once Mei was done cleaning up, she looked around the café and found no sign of the man from earlier. Feeling slightly relieved, she tried her best to regain her composure so she could finish the rest of the day on a high note. Hopefully she wouldn't have to see him again after that embarrassing incident. Hopefully fate wouldn't be that cruel.

But later she would find out that she was wrong. Fate really could be that cruel.

* * *

And there we have it folks. They actually meet, even though it was stereotypical on my part. And yeah in this story, Mei and Jia are fraternal twins. I'll explain more about Mei's family later in the story. This chapter has a weird pacing but I want to give some background before Mei starts school. Comments, questions, or concerns are always welcome (so long as they are respectful) Once again, thank you for reading!


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